Socinus, I confess, evades the force of this argument, by denying the divine person of Christ. But in this disputation I take that for granted, as having proved it elsewhere beyond what any of his fol-
THE IMPUTATION OF CHRIST'S OBEDIENCE. 257
lowers are able to contradict. And if we may not build on truths by him denied, we shall scarce have any one principle of evangelical truth left us to prove any thing from. However, I intend them only at present who concur with him in the matter under debate, but renounce his opinion concerning the person of Christ.
2. As our Lord Jesus Christ owed not in his own person this obe- dience for himself, by virtue of any authority or power that the law had over him, so he designed and intended it not for himself, hut for us. This, added unto the former consideration, gives full evi- dence unto the truth pleaded for ; for if he was not obliged unto it for himself, — his person that yielded it not being under the law, — and if he intended it not for himself; then it must be for us, or be useless. It was in our human nature that he performed all this obe- dience. Now, the susception of our nature was a voluntary act of his own, with reference unto some end and purpose ; and that which was the end of the assumption of our nature was, in like manner, the end of all that he did therein. Now, it was for us, and not for himself, that he assumed our nature ; nor was any thing added unto him thereby. Wherefore, in the issue of his work, he proposeth this only unto himself, that he may be " glorified with that glory which he had with the Father before the world was," by the removal of that vail which was put upon it in his exinanition. But that it was for us that he assumed our nature, is the foundation of Christian religion, as it is asserted by the apostle, Heb. ii. 14 ; Phil. ii. 5-8.
Some of the ancient schoolmen disputed, that the Son of God should have been incarnate although man had not sinned and fallen ; the same opinion was fiercely pursued by Osiander, as I have else- where declared : but none of them once imagined that he should have been so made man as to be made under the law, and be obliged thereby unto that obedience which now he hath performed ; but they judged that immediately he was to have been a glorious head unto the whole creation. For it is a common notion and pre- sumption of all Christians, but only such as will sacrifice such notions unto their own private conceptions, that the obedience which Christ yielded unto the law on the earth, in the state and condition wherein he yielded it, was not for himself, but for the church, which was obliged unto perfect obedience, but was not able to accomplish it. That this was his sole end and design in it is a fundamental article, if I mistake not, of the creed of most Christians in the world ; and to deny it doth consequentially overthrow all the grace and love both of the Father and [of the] Son in his mediation.
It is said, " That this obedience was necessary as a qualification of his person, that he might be meet to be a mediator for us; and there- fore was for hhnself " It belongs unto the necessary constitution of
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258 ON JUSTIFICATION.
his person, with respect unto his mediatory work ; but this I posi- tively deny. The Lord Christ was every way meet for the whole work of mediation, by the ineffable union of the human nature with the divine, which exalted it in dignity, honour, and worth, above any thing or all things that ensued thereon. For hereby he became in his whole person the object of all divine worship and honour; for "when he bringeth the First-begotten into the world, he saith. And let all the angels of God worship him." Again, that Avhich is an effect of the person of the Mediator, as constituted such, is not a qualifica- tion necessary unto its constitution ; that is, what he did as media- tor did not concur to the making of him meet so to be. But of this nature was all the obedience which he yielded unto the law; for as such " it became him to fulfil all righteousness."
Whereas, therefore, he was neither made man nor of the posterity of Abraham for himself, but for the church, — namely, to become thereby the surety of the covenant, and representative of the whole, — his obedience as a man unto the law in general, and as a son of Abraham unto the law of Moses, was for us, and not for himself, so designed, so performed; and, without a respect unto the church, was of no use unto himself He was born to us, and given to us; lived for us, and died for us ; obeyed for us, and suffered for us ; — that " by the obedience of one many might be made righteous." This was the " grace of our Lord Jesus Christ;" and this is the faith of the catholic church. And what he did for us is imputed unto us. This is in- cluded in the very notion of his doing it for us, which cannot be spoken in any sense, unless that which he so did be imputed unto us. And I think men ought to be wary that they do not, by dis- tinctions and studied evasions, for the defence of their own private opinions, shake the foundations of Christian religion. And I am sure it will be easier for them, as it is in the proverb, to wrest the club out of the hand of Hercules, than to dispossess the minds of true believers of this persuasion: " That what the Lord Christ did in obe- dience unto God, according unto the law, he designed in his love and grace to do it for them." He needed no obedience for himself, he came not into a capacity of yielding obedience for himself, but for us ; and therefore for us it was that he fulfilled the law in obedience unto God, according unto the terms of it. The obligation that was on him unto obedience was originally no less for us, no less needful unto us, no more for himself, no more necessary unto him, than the obhgation was on him, as the surety of the covenant, to suffer the penalty of the law, was either tlie one or the other.